Thousands of protesters braved the bitterly cold Washington weather on Saturday as part of a campaign against gun crime.

Some held signs calling for assault-weapons to be banned as they marched through the US capital.

The rally was led by Washington Mayor Vincent Gray who called on Congress to act swiftly to pass stricter laws on firearms.

“We got to get these assault weapons out of our streets and our society. We got to have universal background checks, and we have got to recognise that we can’t have guns in the hands of people who are psychotic.”

About 100 residents of Newtown were also there. The Connecticut town saw last year’s biggest mass shooting when 20 children and six adults were gunned-down by a lone killer at an elementary school.

The protest, which came a week after nationwide rallies by gun-rights supporters, was even backed by Hollywood actress Kathleen Turner.

“The public is now, at this moment, very active, very aware and we have to push it through to the point of legislation,” she said.

Reporting from Washington DC, euronews’ correspondent Stefan Grobe said: “Anti-gun America has spoken with force, and the Obama administration is determined to jolt the nation into action. But whether all this will resonate with Congress remains in doubt.”